Content Creators Push Back On Disney Streaming Removals
In May 2023, Disney announced that it would begin culling programming from its streaming services as a cost-cutting measure. Among the programs cut were a plethora of Disney+ original shows and movies including Willow, Big Shot, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Following the announcement and as some of their favorite shows were removed, fans voiced their displeasure on social media. Many, worried that they would never be able to see their favorite show again.
As it turns out, it wasn’t only fans who were caught off-guard by Disney’s new streaming strategy. Content creators of some of Disney+’s original wave of content were also unaware that their properties were being removed from the streaming platform.
“You Deserve A Phone Call”
Eliza Skinner for example, who created the Disney+ series Earth to Ned, didn’t know that her show was taken off the streaming service until she got a text in a writers’ group chat. As the show was a variety series, the writers do not receive residuals.
“It’s part of this overall mindset of the value of art and creativity that like, ‘Wow, you spent all this time on this, then you at least deserve a phone call,’” Skinner tells The Hollywood Reporter. “You at least deserve to understand a little bit [about] what’s happening with your work. But it’s a whole climate of devaluing.”
While removing content from streaming may be a new tactic for Disney, it is commonplace among other steamers. Warner Bros. Discovery for example recently signed deals with Roku and Tubi to feature some of their older content. Showtime has removed original series such as Kidding, Super Pumped, and American Rust from their streaming platform.
A New Era of Disney Streaming
During a May 10 earnings call, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy announced that the company would be “removing certain content from streaming platforms.” Disney then disclosed on June 2 that it would take a $1.5 billion write-down from the axed programming.
“I would certainly just be curious to know more about what influenced the decision,” says filmmaker Ashley Avis, whose 2020 Disney+ feature Black Beauty was part of the cuts. “It’s tough as an artist to try to know where to navigate.”
For now, Disney seems to have stopped removing content from its platforms. With that being said, more cuts are expected to come in Q3. Hopefully, Disney eventually comes to an agreement with a third party that allows fans to see their favorite shows again.
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